Tag: putting up

One of my kindred spirits in the food blogging community is Heather of Voodoo and Sauce. She is an inspiration. I remember reading a post last year in which she packed her own Albacore tuna. As you know I like to challenge myself and I was determined to do this on my own . I love canned tuna, especially the more expensive ones found in specialty stores with better grades of olive oil and spices as flavor. Once you make your own , all else pales in comparison. It’s great to have on hand to toss into salads and other dishes. Pressure canning tuna may intimidate some, but its easier than you think. You just need a pressure canner as opposed to the water bath method to ensure all the harmful micro organisms are killed as it’s a low acidic food. I won’t say this experiment was flawless. For the first time ever I had two jars explode while canning and that is why my house smelled of fragrant tuna. The odds were it was bound to happen and could be attributed to a few reasons . Nevertheless I still had some great jars left that survived intact and have been enjoying them. I used Blue Fin tuna as I couldn’t find Albacore. I varied my flavors with dried lemongrass , fresh rosemary or fresh dill. You can use water or olive oil. I prefer oil, but be prepared for more mess when canning.

Cut your fresh raw tuna into medallions or pieces that will fit into the jar when packed.

Pour olive oil or water carefully into the jar. Fill just to cover but leave ample head space below the ring ( approx ½ inch to ¾ of an inch) as the fish will make its own juices. If its overfilled , the lid wont seal.

Pack you choice of herbs and spices.

Top each jar with ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt.

Wipe rims and carefully seal.

Take a Pressure canner with a rack and and fill with 1.5 inches- 2 inches of water. The rack is essential so the jars wont break form the heat and rattling pressure. Make sure there is enough water , but it doesn't reach the ring of the jar. Unlike water batch canning , the jars don't have to be submerged in water. Pressure canning builds up humidity but you don't want the canner to run dry as its dangerous to open under pressure.

Follow Pressure Canner instructions and use the weight pressure of 11.

Pressure Can for at least 90 minutes. Watch carefully and reduce heat if necessary according the canners instructions on maintaining proper pressure.

After the time has elapsed , let canner cool down and remove when cool.

Place jars on a rack or towel and wait for the ping sound to signify if the jars are properly sealed. This will happen over the course of the next few hours. When you press down on the center there should be no resistance. ( See you jar manufacturers instructions).

If not sealed refrigerate and consume immediately over the next few days.

There may be some grease residue on outside of jar after canning and that can be cleaned and removed with vinegar and water.

Most of us in this hemisphere are reveling in the beautiful bounty of summer. I don’t know about you but my eyes get bigger than my stomach and I want to buy up the whole farmers market, yet can’t eat the produce quick enough. Here are some ideas for summer fruits. Enjoy!

Apricots in Brandy

Brandied fruits were and still are considered a delicacy. Alcohol paired with sugar preserve the fruits year round.Peaches, berries, plums all work well. Use your imagination. The longer the period to ripen and mellow (a few months), the better. So start now.

Apricots in Brandy

In a heavy sauce pan make a heavy syrup of sugar and water. Boil and reduce a bit .

Neatly pack apricot halves decoratively in sterilized jars.

Pour brandy until it comes up half way.

Pour in hot sugar syrup to fill the other half. Make sure apricots are covered .

Seal with lids.

Process in a water batch for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool and store.

[/print_this]

Michigan Sour Cherry Syrup

Confession. This was a delicious mistake. My intent was to make a pectin free cherry jam, as I could not find any pectin, nor had any apples laying around. I used the method of lemon juice and sugar, yet couldn’t get it up to jelling stage for various reasons ( too much water mainly). I didn’t want to waste my beautiful Michigan cherries that were bursting with ripeness. So a syrup was born. It is on the sweet side with a huge sugar content. But goes well mixed with fresh blueberries on pancakes. I also suggest adding a spoon or two to your next vodka or bourbon based cocktail. Ice cream, cheese cakes, the possibilities are endless.